Friday, July 21st - Prince Rupert and the train home

I wish I could say I slept on the ferry. Marieka slept well, but I tossed and turned and was generally not able to sleep because of the amount of pulsing noise.

Instead, I walked around a few times, got up early, and watched as we arrived in Prince Rupert.

At the ferry dock in Prince Rupert

Sunrise over Prince Rupert

We waited to disembark, then walked our bikes up to the ferry/train station to eat some breakfast and wait for Via Rail staff to arrive so we could get our bikes tagged. Well, there was no charge for checking our bikes on the train (an unexpected treat), and, after loading our bikes on the baggage car, we boarded and staked out seats on both the passenger and observation trains. Thankfully, the observation car was an upgraded model (padded seats!), so we were able to spend a bunch of time there in comfort.

I had been worried about whether there would be a train there, and whether we would be able to ride all the way to Prince George, with the news about the forest fires affecting a number of communities that the track ran through. Things had improved a little bit, but the train still travelled through a couple of evacuation alert areas. Passing through rain off and on helped us to feel more confident.

North Pacific Cannery

Skeena River

Old pilings in the Skeena River

Eagle, Mountains, Skeena River

Rainy Coast Mountains, Skeena River, and train

Train bridge

More rain in Smithers

Tunnel from the observation car

Things were going really well overall. We only had a couple of waits on the journey and were actually early pulling into some of the stations. I began to hope we might actually get into Prince George early.

Optimism turned into realism as the train stopped at least twice more between Vanderhoof and Prince George, and we finally pulled in a mere half hour late. At least we had prepared and had a packed dinner on the train.

We slept in our bed at home for the first time in 3 weeks, and it was nice. Now, we've got the weekend to settle back in before we head back to work on Monday.

Thursday, July 20th - Last day on Haida Gwaii

Today is our last day on Haida Gwaii. Tonight, we'll get on the ferry for Prince Rupert.

We came up with a plan - we would ride out with all the bags on my trailer, hike Onward Point, then ride to the Kwuna Point hiking trail, walk there, then get on the ferry over to Graham Island, drop my trailer at the ferry station, head to the Haida Heritage Centre so Marieka could shop at the gift shop, then off to Daajing Giids for dinner before boarding the ferry.

Onward Point was a nice walk and would be great whale watching in the spring.

Onward Point trailhead

Stairs on the trail!

After Onward Point, we rode over to the turnoff to Kwuna Point. The hills really began on the road to Kwuna Point, so we grabbed lunch at the old seaplane base location and went off to catch the ferry to Graham Island.

The dock at the old seaplane base

Well, we got to the ferry in time for the next ferry, but were informed that, as there was a fuel truck to go across, it was going to be a dangerous goods run, so we would be delayed by an hour. We chatted with a local doctor and another cycle-tourer, and made good of the not great situation.

On Graham Island, I was actually able to store my bike trailer in a locked area and we were off with minimal gear. The gift shop had items bought, second lunch was at one of the Chinese restaurants in Daajing Giids (and pretty decent), and then dinner was a great meal at the Black Tail.

Learning our lesson from the previous train trip, we stocked up on food for the train tomorrow before dinner.

Boarding the ferry was painless and we checked into our berth, then waved farewell to Haida Gwaii,

Our berth

Farewell Haida Gwaii!

Wednesday, July 19th - Hiking the Dover Trail

Well, it turns out that we won't be able to say if the Raincoast Breads dinner is worth it - I got an e-mail this morning informing me that there's a waitlist for the dinner tonight and they weren't even sure how I was able to book with the online system. Well, I asked for a refund instead of trying to get in on a seating on another day (as we would not be around).

Early morning, I went to the kitchen took some photos again, catching the family of swallows who like to hang out on the lines leading to Bayview Gardens, as well as the effects of the rain that was falling that morning.

Like a family of birds, on a wire

Misty morning

After breakfast, we packed up some food and headed out for the Dover Trail, named after a respected Haida woman, Louise Dover, who information noted was much respected in the community of Sandspit.

Dover Trail - light on the mossy trees

Dover Trail - yes, the trees are that big

Upside-down photo of mushrooms on a tree

Tree-hugger

Tree and moss

Dover Trail - another giant tree

On the way back - driftwood octopus and more!

After dinner (at the golf club again) the sunset was spectacular.

Tuesday, July 18th - walking around the spit

Early morning, before Marieka got up, I popped out front and took some photos of the tide out, the Ferry heading to Prince Rupert, Bayview Gardens and some of the gardens.

Looking at Graham Island; ferry heading out

Looking up towards the point of the spit

Bayview Gardens

A unique flower in the gardens

 

We decided to walk around Sandspit today; we had seen a map of a walking route around the spit and decided to explore. First, though, was exploring if there was somewhere to go to eat, or if we would need to get more groceries to make dinner with.

Heading South to the Beaches Restaurant, we checked the menu and ruled it out - standard pub fare and pizza - as not at all Marieka-friendly.

Returning to the Bayview Gardens, we continued on on the Spit Walk route. The map said to do it clockwise, but that it could also go counter-clockwise. As we were starting at the 7 o'clock position of the route, we agreed on counter-clockwise and headed along School Road.

Another restaurant... A little bit closed.

 

We were supposed to turn off this road about halfway to hop onto a trail, but decided to continue on to the golf course, to check the menu of the restaurant there. Seeing fresh, Haida Gwaii tuna on the menu, we had our spot for dinner and headed back along School Road to follow the route.

Had we known exactly where the route went, we could have continued East and hopped onto the beach from there.

Instead, we walked through the forest to an old road. Following it Southeast through a gate, we entered a horse pasture of sorts. There were horses and grass, along with former grass having passed through a horse. We avoided stepping into the latter.

Reaching the Southeast corner of the airport fence, we decided to head onto the beach, which meant a slight detour. Heading South, I noticed the School Road was an easy walk away. Ah, hindsight.

Walking up the beach to the spit, we were caught by the sights of the beach, the birds, and the growing hunger that Marieka was feeling. We hadn't brought any food with us, and we were well past noon. In fact, we weren't sure if we were going to get to the airport in time for her to grab something at the bistro there.

Looking North along the beach

As we approached, this eagle had been perched on the beach, before taking flight

A line of oystercatchers. They have brilliant red feed and beaks.

Looking West from the Spit

Well, we did make the restaurant and Marieka did not have to resort to cannibalism (I was a bit worried), although she was sorely tempted to have something with bread, I convinced her to ask about getting a breakfast sandwich without the bread, and they gladly did this.

We made it back to Bayview Gardens and had a relaxing rest of the day before heading to the golf course where we had Tuna Tataki and Tuna Poke bowls - Marieka got extra tuna on hers, while I had rice that was both gooey and crunchy. The tuna and the rest of the bowl was excellent, and we learned about how it was caught off the West Coast.

Returning once more, we decided to try to get a reservation for tomorrow night at Raincoast Breads, which was a fancy, hyper-local restaurant serving set menus. After figuring out their online booking system, I booked a reservation. We'll see if it's worth $180 per person...

Monday, July 17th - to Sandspit!

I have become a morning person, who wakes early and ready to go. Marieka is not, and on vacation this has become doubly so.

We managed to get out the door and on the road by the deadline for checking out. We managed to make the noon-ish ferry to Moresby Island, enjoying the observation deck.

Leaving Skidegate ferry dock, on the observation deck

It was an uneventful crossing, giving a lot of opportunity to look out into Hecate Straight, and also to look up the bay and towards the Narrows between Graham and Moresby.

On Moresby, things were a little more wild, and some of the big trees were right next to the highway. First, though, was a steel-decked bridge. I rode across it, prepared that I might spill (it was actually way better on a touring bicycle than on a motorcycle), while Marieka walked across. It was pretty jarring, so I think that her walking made a lot of sense.

Steel deck bridge... Only one we saw on the trip

With that challenge passed, we rode the highway (in great shape and without big hills) as it hugged the rugged coastline, or ducked away from it as needed, seeing signs of developed hiking trails that we might follow over the next couple of days. About halfway to Sandspit, Marieka agreed with my idea to do some stretching to prevent injury.

Getting into Sandspit, we quickly found our home for the next few nights - Bayview Gardens, where we were allowed to park our bikes/trailer in the shed, and we got settled in. We headed to the grocery store and stocked up, then did a nice dinner at the guesthouse (very nicely laid out), did a bit more walking, and then got a good sleep.

Sunday, July 16th - Lawn Hill to Skidegate (and a bit more)

We weren't too sure how Marieka would do with biking again - biking with weight appeared to be aggravating her back, so we decided that I would carry all of her bags and such on my trailer. Packing up, compressing packing cubes and stuffing it all into the bag on my trailer, it all disappeared, with the exception of my hiking shoes, which got stuffed in her panniers, strapped on top of the trailer.

Heading down the highway from Lawn Hill to Skidegate, we decided to get into Skidegate and see if we could drop our bags early at the Airbnb (Haywaas' House - highly recommended for a couple). Well, we got a message on the way offering that we could check in early, along with the directions - it was up in a new development, and the roads weren't on any maps. It was also overlooking Skidegate, so we got to try to ride up the pretty steep, long hill (I made it more than halfway). 

Once we crested the hill, we saw a Haida lady out berry picking with her son. It turned out this was our host, and she confirmed we were on the right way, and that we could leave things we didn't need (like my trailer) in their garage, and get into the airbnb early.

When we were unloading, we got to chat with her uncle, who is also a cyclist - he rides up the other hill when the weather is good (apparently it's even steeper), and has a Peloton for when the weather isn't that good.

While we were chatting with him and unloading stuff, our host and her son, Haywaas, arrived. Haywaas was a very happy looking toddler, with a big berry smile. Our host showed off the thimble-berries and currants (? cranberries?) that she had been picking, and we talked for quite a while, learning about how the guesthouse used to be her hair studio until she became a teacher.

We also learned a lot more about our hosts after we had settled into the airbnb, as there were copies of their books for children in the house - I Wish You Were Here about how they met, and Haywaas' Question about the complexity involved in trying to explain what reconciliation is.

We double-checked, and no food stores were open, so we made a plan - we were going to go to the Haida Heritage Centre, spend the afternoon there, and then I would go to Daajing Giids to do some grocery shopping while Marieka shopped in the gift store.

The Haida Heritage Centre is a great museum and resource for keeping the Haida culture alive. We walked through the longhouses and then entered the museum to follow the journey of the Haida from their starting with Sea Foam Woman and other supernatural beings, to the impacts of contact with Europeans, and how the Island has been on its own reconciliation journey for the last 50 or so years (this is a simplification).

In Daajing Giids, I went to the Causeway Convenience again, but, pulling in, I recalled that the salmon we'd been getting was from T&M, which was on the wharf just at the end of the street, so I walked over and watched as they were unloading their catch of the day. There was an awesome little girl of about 7 or 8 who was proudly showing her dad the large fish eye that was hers (he made her wash her hands before getting in the truck). Once there was an opportunity, I wandered back to the retail store around the back and got a pound of frozen salmon, to make for dinner tonight, then went back to the Causeway Convenience for more groceries, to stock us up, putting them in a backpack for the ride.

Back at the giftshop, Marieka had gotten to know the lady who ran it and had plans of what to buy, but hadn't bought anything yet.

We went through Skidegate on the way back to the Airbnb, seeing the Skidegate Volunteer Fire Department Fire Truck (below), which had slightly larger trees than last time I was here, the awesome new Youth Centre in a prominent waterfront location above the beach, and the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program building.

Skidegate Volunteer Fire Department Truck

 

Back at Haywaas' House, we had a great dinner, relaxed, stretched, read, and went to bed.

Saturday, July 15th - Rain, Lawn Hill, and Jungle Beach

Finally, the rains came. It was unthinkable to me that we would be 2 weeks on Haida Gwaii with no rain, but that's exactly what happened. The Rainforest was dry, but today it got a needed drink.

We had a relaxed morning before heading for a walk, after the rain. First, we walked in the woods above the cabin, trying to see if we could follow what looked to be a trail.

Oyster mushrooms and giant slugs

It looks like the slugs eat the mushrooms

Misty forests of Haida Gwaii

In the forest

The trail wound around, up the hill, but eventually petered out. We saw some signs for paintball, so it looks like this might be a multi-purpose space.

Then we walked down the road, across the highway, and onto the beach. It was cloudy and threatening rain, so there was no swimming in the ocean today. We walked all the way down to Jungle Beach and back, getting in a good walk and some fun on the tower.

Stormy shore

Looking down on Marieka from the top of the tower

Marieka on top of the tower

We got rained on a little bit, but got in a good walk before retreating to the cabin for a fire in the stove to take out the damp.

Cabin from the outside

Another fish dinner and we went to bed.